84 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



where he would find them, and were delighted to find that he took 

 kindly to our suggestions and appeared to become domesticated. 

 Finally, one year, lately, he disappeared, whether killed or no by 

 some mischievous boy or unscientific sportsman I do not know. 

 To our horror the birds returned and our cherries were eaten up. 



Still another example : The orioles, when the peas are ripening, 

 will alight upon the vines, eat the peas by the podfull, and then 

 actually amuse themselves by slitting open the pods and emptying 

 their contents, when they cannot possibly eat them themselves, 

 apparently from mere wantonness. These same king-birds, build- 

 ing in an apple tree near the pea-vines, waged such a war with the 

 orioles, that, for one year, at least, we were not troubled at all with 

 the loss of our peas. Now it has been abundantly proven by 

 others, besides myself, that the king-bird, if suitably baited with 

 scraps of cotton, strings, and other loose material suitable to com- 

 plete a nest, will soon accustom itself to building in and about 

 the orchards, gardens, and even the houses of our farmers, and 

 thus protect thousands of dollars' worth of vegetables and fruits. 

 It is strictly an • insectivorous bird, and will not destroy, on the 

 whole, that which conduces to the interests of the farmer. I will 

 set it down in the following statement, which I am prepared to 

 " hack up ' with abundant proof, and further evidence, that the 

 king- bird is one of the most valuable species of birds to the agricul- 

 turist, and if properly encouraged will save for him hundreds if 

 not thousands of dollars' worth of provisions in a season. Legisla- 

 tion in regard to this bird should be of the strictest kind. 



Another species, doing an immense amount of good in its own 

 quiet way, is the yellow-billed, as also its ally the black-billed 

 cuckoo. These birds build in apple and fruit trees. They are 

 strictly insect eating, while they make terrible raids upon the 

 caterpillar that infests the trees at this season. They should be 

 encouraged in all possible ways. 



BLUE JAY. 



With regard to the jay, authorities differ upon which side to 

 place him; he undoubtedly does much to benefit the farmer indi- 

 rectly, and even more or less directly, and yet he does so much 

 direct damage, and becomes such a ruthless destroyer at certain 

 times and at certain seasons, that it is almost absurd to class him 

 among the friends of the agriculturist. 



